Mattnvick

2 hours ago, boneatnik said:

You folks who are getting success with OBC could you let us know if you booked in 2018 or 2019? MSC is telling us that since we booked in 2019 we are out of luck.

Thank you CC members.  See you at M and M!

Early 2018.

I know MSC had to make the cut off somewhere but where i think they are wrong is that it seems regardless of when   they said it and regardless of when you booked they screwed up by showing it on your etickets last week.

That really is the stick to beat them with. Yes they have reissued but the first lot said vouchers and it may be worth going back and arguing that with them.

2 minutes ago, styles27 said:

 

 

Excellent.  $80 total or each?  We got $150 total OBC ($75 each)

$80 each person. 😁I was happy

Thank you CC members my dh called and he spoke to a rep explained the situation.

He said i will just comfirm what you told me. He put him on hold came back and said yes you are correct and added $80 OBC.

Result 👍🎉

We can now use that for some chocolate martinis in Venchi 😉 

On 4/9/2019 at 1:01 PM, styles27 said:

Our e tickets were also re issued this morning without the drink vouchers.  (The ones I printed out a couple of weeks ago included the vouchers) 

 

 I phoned customer service and after going through 3 different reps I was given a $75 pp on board credit “for the inconvenience”

 

So we’re happy with that considering the Fantastica experience was about $90 pp we received almost all of that back in OBC. I’ll use that for drinks or towards the service charge. 

 

 

I would call them today....you have more leverage to get this squared away now before boarding. 

We sail 04/28

 

Good luck!

Thanks for this update will be calling them tomorrow morning as we sail on the 20th( i find mornings are good to call with no wait) and asking for some OBC in place of the now defunct vouchers.

Interestingly we also had our tickets reissued last week but didnt think anyyhing of it except "its MSC" 😝 will compare it now to the previous ones.

If they appear to not want to play ball i will happily quote C.C. 😉

Will post any results ( positive or negative after calling).

11 minutes ago, ready2cruzagain said:

 

I sure hope so since I have 4 cruises booked to go there in Nov and Dec of this year!

I hope so too. I know a lot of people booked and are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the island as its already about a year behind schedule. 

9 minutes ago, ready2cruzagain said:

 

Suppose to be November 9th of this year.

Sorry my mistake i said December but regardless its this year 2019 so lets hope the article saying 2020 was a mistake

1 hour ago, abbflex said:

I ve had that as an adult cause I never had it as a child. Please dont risk that anyone can be affected. It was hellish.😫

Agreed. I caught it from my 11 month old and it was indeed hell. 

5 hours ago, ready2cruzagain said:

Here is a link to an article about it:

 

https://mscfans.blog/2019/04/10/msc-unveils-the-new-portmiami-highly-innovative-cruise-terminal/

The below quotes were taken from the above article

....."MSC unveils the 2020-2021 

For the second consecutive year MSC Meraviglia will homeport in New York for three cruises. 

the third cruise will lead Meraviglia to Miami, second winter homeport, calling in Philipsburg (St. Maarten), Fort-de-France (Martinica), St. George (Grenada), Willemstad (Curacao), Oranjestad (Aruba) and will be the first MSC cruise ship to dock in the brand-new Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve (Bahamas).".....

The third one particularly interests me as it talks about Meraviglia being the first ship to dock at Ocean Cat. As i understood it that was happening in December THIS year 2019 so has it been put back again or was this an error in the article? 

20 minutes ago, ikea logistics said:

@Beamafar can you clarify I can't remember RE Venchi and Ice Cream for Happy Hols 2018 and blueeyes

 

 

I think the Venchi not being included is a very new thing.

There is a thread going on at the moment "Venchi is now on the banned list" that should bring you up to speed.

That being said its MSC and all could change again by next week 😝

5 hours ago, 8420PR said:

The sign says that there is a 7% tax charge for all purchases via drinks package while in the Port of Miami (the same sign was at all bars on the first day).  At least in March gelato was still included in the drinks packages.

Thank you for that. It wasnt clear enough on my phone.

So a question: i cruised NCL last month and they had this charge. Habe been om Divina twice (boarding Seaside in 2 weeks 🎉) and i don't remember seeing a charge for this on my bill. We had vouchers last time.

Did MSC used to absorb the charge and now are not?

10 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

Thanks for your reply.  It seems that many of the cruise lines are currently undergoing "revisions" in what they offer their guests. 

 

It seems one of the only places you can do it.

If for example you bought a top of the range car with a heated steering wheel and put the money down. However when you pick the car up its just a regular steering wheel. You question the salesman and he says oh yeah Thats not included any more. It just doesnt happen

. But apparently the cruise lines can reel you in with promises of this and that being included, you pay the money and then suddenly stuff is off the table.

Bizarre 

22 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

Forgive this question if it offends, but I am just starting to research a MSC booking.  Why does this issue cause concern?

No offence taken and how long have you got 😂😂😝

So back in November 2018 MSC changed the names and prices of their drinks packages.

There was a huge furor from passengers as the price jump was quite steep and passengers who had already booked the old pkg were told they would now get the new ones which included less for more money in some cases although you could of course pay to "upgrade"..........  

Then MSC decided those who had the old package would still get it when they sailed.

Venchi is a highly desireable bar/ cafe and people love the chcolate martinis and gelato to name a couple. Venchi gelato used to be included in the old classic package but its not included in any new package. The drinks you could get with the new premium plus. 

Apparently now, no Venchi is included in anything so its a case of being told you will get something and then later you are told you wont get it. 

It's just a little  irritating as it seems to change on a whim so it can make things hard to plan. 

Hope i haven't confused you too much.

On 4/5/2019 at 3:33 PM, dexddd said:

Here you go Donna.  First picture YC lounge - kids liked the chocolate pops on left.  They had them a couple times.  Gelato is located starboard by Jungle Pool bar, Southbeach bar, and one other place escaping me now.

 

I don't suppose you remembered what that notice in front of the gelato said do you?

There is a thread at the moment that is saying no drinks packages old or new include anything from Venchi. With the old packages Classic covered gelato and im wondering if that notice is something to do with that and they are possibly now trying to exclude it. 😫

BBC's , frozen tolerones, miami vice. Also in the MDR for breakfast, cafe coretto - espresso with a dash of your favourite liquor. Sorry no pics. 

11 minutes ago, CruisingFox27 said:

More importantly, the good news - the Viking Sky has now docked in Molde, ship and passengers are now safe.

That is wonderful news and so good to hear all the positive things said about crew and captain from those that have been interviewed in the media. 

I'm sure it's been a terrible ordeal and not im sure anything they envisaged when they boarded.

Happy that although there has been some injuries it doesn't sound like anything too, too serious. 

In many ways we are all at the mercy of Mother Nature when we board a cruise ship.

2 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

 

I wondered what the point was, too!  I certainly don't go around the various forums looking for breaking news!  In fact, apart from this one, roll calls and ports of call forums, I very rarely read anything else.

 

I posted it here for the reason I outlined in the OP with the knowledge that the mods may deem it inappropriate for this forum, but wanted to share it with fellow cruisers who may not read the general cruise news forum, either.

Exactly Bea and the mods are obviously ok with it and saw it for exactly that as its still here.

Looks like Mr/Mrs/Ms Frode got out of bed the wrong side and neglected  to take their happiness pill. 

1 hour ago, Frode said:

You´re so right! 😮
Why in the world write about this - which is about Viking Cruises (i e the cruise vessel MS Viking Sky) - on the MSC forum? 🙄 I think for sure that we all know how to look for information at the Viking Cruises forum.

I wonder  how it would look if everyone was constantly posting information about all other ships/shipping companies on all forums?! 😵

 

Wow what exactly was the point of this?

Bea was informing that's all.

Why you needed to be so rude is beyond me.

If you cant say something nice use the scroll button and keep going. 

I say to DH this morning "Oh wow Charles and Camilla are in Havana"

He repies "Gosh on Opera or Armonia?".......... 

No words........his defence when i called him out on it "i didnt really hear the first bit as i had my back to you but thought it was someone you followed on c.c."

Ok then 😂😂😂

5 minutes ago, sidari said:

Captain has issued an abandon ship order and winds became too strong for the helicopters to continue flying.

So lifeboats to be lowered then Sidari? Not a fun exercise in those seas. Lets hope and pray all goes ok for everyone involved 

57 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

Although it's not an MSC ship involved, I thought there might some interest here in this story  (though, I expect the thread will be moved as it's not MSC related).

 

AROUND 1,300 PEOPLE are being airlifted from a cruise ship off the coast of Norway, according to emergency services. 

Police in the county of More og Romsdal received a report shortly after 2pm that a cruise ship, which has been identified as the Viking Sky, was experiencing engine problems. 

The ship sent an SOS message due to “engine problems in bad weather”, southern Norway’s rescue centre said on Twitter.

 

“The boat only has one working engine and the winds are rather strong. Therefore we would prefer to have the passengers on land rather than on board the ship,” a police chief said.

“It is dangerous to encounter engine problems in these waters which hide numerous reefs.”

By 4.30pm (2.30pm Irish time), 100 people had been evacuated, with four helicopters involved in the airlift. A reception centre has been set up on shore to accommodate the evacuees. 

Other boats have also been seen in the area.

 

 

Cruise ship Viking Sky drifting towards land

Just watched a video of the rescue on ABC weather looks grim. Another ship in the area also just sent out a Mayday due to the weather and issues.

Someone on board on the HAL site says everyone is very calm and the capt doing a good job of informing them all. 

Hell of job for the helicopter pilots and apparently the rescue will continue all night. Some pax got minor injuries (due to flying glass) not to mention wet when  a  window in the MDR gave way. It was being used as a muster station.

Hope the rescue continues smoothly and the ship when empty can limp to a port for repairs. Mother nature can be a beast when she flexes her muscles.

22 minutes ago, deliver42 said:

I'm booking the Meriviglia for Dec, 2020, in Fantastica, and no drink pkgs come with it.

We booked this last weekend (December 2020 Meriviglia) and yes no drink package offered at all. Will just keep watching and if one comes up and the price is good We will cancel and rebook for the same cabin. Need to watch closely. Guaranteed drink package wise something will be offered just have to see what and when. 

16 minutes ago, scorpioalon said:

if the vouchers end on march 25th, what about cruises that start before march 25th and end after march 25th? specifically, seaside voyage 3/23-3/30 . . . 

Regards MSC i would never say anything is 100% guaranteed lol but sailing on the dates you have given my guess would be you will be handed them at the start of the voyage and be able to use them for the whole sailing with out any problem. Fingers crossed. 

11 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

MSC responding to customers' demands, perhaps?  Seems they were very popular with NA cruisers.

Update: DH has emerged upstairs and said the girl who took the booking told him it is a software glitch and all vouchers end 25th March 2019 and then it will stop appearing in the banner where it lists it. 😂😂

Sigh......oh well at least we have a cruise to look forward to. 😊  She also couldnt take of the extra 10%  promotion off but has forwarded it upwards as she says it can be done she just couldn't do it and has given us her email address and said it should be taken off in the next 4 or 5 days and if it doesn't show get back to her to chase it again.

5 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

MSC responding to customers' demands, perhaps?  Seems they were very popular with NA cruisers.

Definitely Bea. We are on Seaside in a few weeks and this will be out first cruise without them. They said we would get them and maybe we would have but dh wasnt about to take the risk with all the confusion going on back in the end of last year so we booked a drink package. 

 However that being said we were disappointed they did away with them. We thought they were the beat value at sea. 

Looks like dh has pulled the trigger on the trip for 2020 as i see i booking confirmation has just popped up on my phone while im typing this lol. He is downstairs in the study.

Soooo we wait with anticipation to see if the vouchers come through for that sailing 😉 

So looking at MSC Meravliglia Fantastica experience for December 2020. On my phone it says under details of Fantastica "Promotion Included" but no other details. When i do the same dummy booking on the lap top it says

12 Fantastica vouchers included for soda, wine, beer, non premium cocktails,  coffee and gelato. The 12 drink voucher package will be included with the Fantastica experince for cruises until the last winter sailing. 

OMG MSC you kill me sometimes. 😂😂😂